Biography
Gretchen Sneegas's teaching and research center on environmental governance during times of change and conflict. Her pedagogy rests on a foundation of hands-on and inclusive knowledge-building with students, weaving together social theory, physical science, and community geography to support students' growth into informed environmental citizens who think critically about power and social justice. Dr. Sneegas is constantly experimenting in the classroom with innovative activities, student-led research, and alternative grading methods.
In her research, Dr. Sneegas uses a combination of critical discourse analysis, ethnography, and statistical analysis to trace how individuals become different types of environmental subjects, and how this in turn shapes their environmental behaviors. Prior projects have included perspectives on human consumption of raw milk and food safety, the effects of shale gas development on farmer-landowners, why water-insecure cities do (or do not) adopt desalination and water recycling technologies, and the tensions and trade-offs present in Washington state’s long-term Forest and Fish Adaptive Management Program.
In her free time, Dr. Sneegas is an avid hiker, camper, film photographer, and speculative fiction reader.
I do not advise graduate students in my current role.